The Anzan Heir

The

Anzan Heir

By

Trisha Fuentes

Smashwords Edition

The Anzan Heir

Copyright © 2019 by TRISHA FUENTES

This book is a work of fiction.  All names, characters and places are used fictitiously. Historical figures, sports figures, celebrities, entertainers, songs, trademarks, brand names and likenesses are the sole property and copyright of their respective authors.  All fictional written material is copyrighted by Trisha Fuentes, Publisher and Ardent Artist Books. Cover image by VJ Dunraven Productions and Ardent Artist Books. Reuse and/or reproduction of any images and written material are strictly prohibited.

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Dedication

For all my readers who

love Historical Romance!

This book is for you...

The Anzan Heir

In the Kingdom of Anza, two sovereigns have been split apart combating the same land.  The first to produce a male heir will have supreme reign and rule the realm.  In the year 250 A.D., there are no laws stating an heir must come from a wedded state, but Rulers are to choose wisely for they are only allowed to marry once…

Prologue

It was once a peaceful, flourishing country. King Leofrick von Hugh was a powerful and beloved leader, sustaining the Kingdom of Anza free of war and poverty for nearly fifty years. But when the Kingdom of Sussna threatened Anza with cutting off their aquatic supply from a nearby thalassic, King Leofrick decided not to wage war on his disadvantaged neighboring sovereign, but rather tender a gift of goodwill, and offered a promise of betrothal.  Sussna had one daughter and knowing the need for his country to continue to exist it required heirs and thus, the King of Sussna accepted the treaty and was thus hastily scripted.

Leofrick’s Queen was lucky enough to have bore him two sons, Ronan and Reginald, to enter into such a pact.  And, at the age of ten and one, Ronan von Hugh, the eldest of the two Princes’ was betrothed to marry Princess Emeline von Drake of the Kingdom of Sussna, age ten and six.

With no courtship or sight unseen, Ronan and Emeline were married posthaste.  With confusion, sadness, and hatred for their forefathers, they do not consummate their marriage until three years later.

When both Kings suddenly die simultaneously in a freakish accident, the son’s come to rule and the first ordinance that was set into law was that all their father’s gluttonous Barons were to be replaced with new order.  The Kingdom of Sussna was abruptly swallowed up by the Anzan administration and their inhabitants were wretched about the transformation. But with the new array comes disarray and arguments arose as to which brother was entitled to set justice into law. Fights would ensue daily until one or both brothers would end up with wounded pride, black eyes, or worse and nothing would be resolved.

It wasn’t always like this.  

The brothers were once very close until self-indulgence was introduced.  Ronan was the rightful, true sovereign being first born, but at ten and seven, Reginald was becoming unruly, extremely arrogant and mulish as hell.

Reginald declared that since the brothers were of the same age, both of them should govern. Opinion and agreements unsettled, Reginald, along with half of their twelve new Barons took the East lands, while Ronan remained with the West of Anza.  

And, for the next ten years, they have been at battle. Anzan bloodshed over stubbornness and resentment, both succumbing to the order of the proclamation.

And so, it was scripted by their ancestors before them that When a sovereign son bears his own son then He shall be the true King of Anza and reign supreme over all the land.

But could it be that simple?

Chapter 1

The Sussnan citizens had to pick a side. East, with Reginald, or West with Ronan. Unfamiliar with either sovereign, the community was basically split apart by logistics. Whomever owned property east or west of the thalassic stayed with their relevant leader. The Barons were stripped of their lands and given to their lords and stewards, thus creating turmoil and battle, and most men were dead before even raising a sword. If you weren’t compliant with the new law, then you had a choice of torture. Many were hung, most were thrown down into the dungeon, but the peasants were much luckier; they did not have an alternative and followed their lords to their new place of residence. Peasant girls of Sussna were ill-fated by far; they were either sold at auction or placed in homes to serve the lords and ladies of the new East or West.

They were given no choice.

Anissa de Winter and Beatrix Stronghold were such peasant girls, once belonging to Lord Rowntree of Sustinent, now under the ownership of his master, Baron Francis de Monfort of the new western Anzan Republic.

At the age of ten, Anissa and Beatrix were both bright and hard-working. Always clean and very obedient, serving the Baron's wife, Baroness de Montfort, who had been bedridden with black and blue blotches all over her body. The Baron swore up and down that it was the plague and assigned Anissa and Beatrix the duty of tending to his dying wife. Rumors floated all around Sustinent that the true reason behind shunning his wife was that he could flee to visit his mistress in a nearby shire.

Months went by and Anissa and Beatrix both unveiled the fact that Baroness de Montfort’s condition wasn’t the plague, but bruises from the Baron pushing or holding his wife down on her bed, making sure she wasn’t able to get up to discover his amoral ways.

Beatrix was brave enough to prove their discovery to the Baron’s steward, Mr. Chaucer, but the old man’s friend quickly hushed the girl down, claiming she was daft. The very next day, full of grief and dismay, Beatrix was sold for a few coins to a Viscountess in the eastern lands.

Anissa was left with no other choice but to keep the Baron’s secret and cried herself to sleep each night, mourning the loss of her housemaid sister.

The months quickly turned into years, and Anissa reached the age of ten and seven.

Her days in service were not without trial. Her daily routine of taking care of household duties was straightforward compared to her nightly horror of hide and go seek.

Old and feeble, the Baron would try to bed Anissa but failed. Once every other night, he would catch her unaware of his approach and grab her from behind. On one such evening, he forced her to the ground, using all his strength to hold her there and was unable to finish his mission. Kicking and screaming, Anissa was able to push his aging body away from hers and managed to lock herself in a nearby closet for nearly two days!

After realizing he wasn’t going to break down the door like she anticipated or try to rape her again, Anissa finally opened the door to find the Baron collapsed on the floor, stiff and twisted as a pot hook.

Walking around his unresponsive form, she knelt down to find that he smelled like he had been dead for quite some time. Maybe even after she locked the door!

Anissa quickly packed a sack with all her belongings and ran out the door only to bump right smack into Mr. Chaucer.

Leaving missy?

Frantic, Anissa declared, Baron Monfort is dead!

Mr. Chaucer looked at her oddly, What?

He grabbed her by the shoulders and began shaking her, I found him on the floor, he looks to be dead!

The steward let her body go and ran inside the manor. Anissa stood still with her satchel in her hands, holding onto it for dear life. Mr. Chaucer came out of the entrance scratching his head.

That leaves us permission to run off then?

Anissa watched his balmy face turn from quizzical into the devil when his eyes turned on her small frame. Clutching her